Larry D. Lauer

My daughter and I were talking this week about the congressional hearings on the Gulf oil spill.  We discussed the consequences of how some leaders in a crisis get associated with a negative theme which is then repeated incessantly in the news media. The result is often a lingering impression of overall ineffectiveness. 

We concluded that such impressions are unfair to any leader while trying to deal with the urgency of a serious crisis moment, and are likely to be counterproductive to finding real solutions in this terribly complex world.

How can this happen?  Simply put, the opposition states an extreme and exagerated position over and over again, a well-known debating tactic that can be used to establish the impression of legitimacy for almost any idea.  And then the news media reports it repeatedly as “breaking news,” influenced by its tendency to simplify, polarize, and dramatize. 

Examples abound: “Obama just can’t get on top of this oil crisis!”  Or, Afghanistan is Obama’s war!”  Or, “Heathcare is being taken over by the federal government!”  All are repeated themes by both the political opposition and news media, and the result is to obscure the public’s ability to appreciate and understand the complexity any president or leader faces when trying to fix a terrible crisis. 

I think we all know that every serious problem is solved only by trial and error. We try one solution, and if it doesn’t work we try another.  We learn as we go. But in this new and highly competive media world our public discourse unfolds as if we don’t know any of this.  

And so my daughter concludes: “The media makes it so.”

So, what are the lessons communicators  must learn here?  (1) In this competitive 24/7 news media world any serious crisis is likely to have at least a short-term negative reputation impact. (2) Ongoing issues and crisis training for executives will help your whole organization look more competent as it deals with issues and crises over time. (3) Effective reputation building communication is a long-term process targeted to your most critical audiences and favors direct and interactive media. It must begin well before a given crisis happens and continue long after the news media moves on.

One final comment:  As a society we must come again to appreciate what it takes to solve complex problems and to give those that find themselves in leadership positions a realistic chance to perform, no matter their political party. There will be ample time later to evaluate.  And legislators must again come to understand that once elected they are expected to work together to solve problems.  Since nothing  short of this is acceptable, we must also have a news media that can help make this happen.